Wednesday, February 9, 2011

my spring seed schedule: part two

(Click for Part One.)

You may wonder why tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are missing from my garden this year. Starting seeds indoors is a huge hassle as we don't have a proper setup. Plus, I get so many nightshades from the Muth Organic CSA, I decided to grow more vegetables the farm doesn't always offer such as peas, beans and root veggies. "What's a garden without tomatoes?!" you must be thinking. I know, I know...=)

may 22nd
one week after last spring frost

cucumber
weeks to maturity: 7 weeks
seed storage: 5-6 years
sow: when soil is warm, 1/2-1 inch deep, 2 per square foot, full sun. pre-soak seed 30 minutes for faster sprouting.
growing: regular moisture. keep leaves dry to discourage fungus. provide vertical support for vines. mulch in hot weather.
harvesting: carefully cut through the fruit stem from pickle-size to full grown.
companion planting: helped by nasturtiums, radishes, marigolds, sunflowers peas, beets, carrots, and dill; avoid tomato and sage.

nasturtium
seed to bloom: 6 weeks
sow: 1/2 inch deep, 4 per square, full sun but will withstand some shade. pre-soak seed 24 hours before planting.
growing: drought tolerant, but does best with ample moisture.
harvesting: leaves, flowers and seeds are edible! the leaves have a peppery flavor like watercress, and the flowers make a gorgeous garnish.
companion planting: radishes, cabbage family plants, cucurbits, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, beans. nasturtiums deter many garden pests. 

may 29th
two weeks after last spring frost

melon
maturity: 12 weeks
seed storage: 5 years
sow: when soil is warm, 1/2-1 inch deep, 1 per 2 square feet if trellising, full sun. pre-soak seed.
growing: moist soil.
harvesting: twist melon with one hand while holding stem with other. if it resists parting, it is not ripe. 

winter squash
maturity: 12 weeks
seed storage: 5 years
sow: when soil is warm, 1/2-1 inch deep, 1 per 2 per square feet if trellising, full sun. pre-soak seed 30 minutes for faster sprouting.
growing: keep soil moist. provide strong vertical support in square foot garden.
harvesting: after first light frost cut the squash from the vine and set out in sun to cure a few days. protect at night when frost is in the forecast.
companion planting: helped by radishes.

basil
maturity: 4-6 weeks
seed storage: 5 years
sow: when soil is warm, 1/4 inch deep, 1 or 4 per square foot, full sun.
growing: moist soil.
harvesting: pinch stem above leaf nodes before plant flowers.
for continuous harvest: plant every 3 weeks.
companion planting: traditionally grown with peppers and tomatoes.

10 comments:

  1. Great post! I have never been able to grow melons. I admire folks who can. I don't know what I was doing wrong. I had one one year that I thought was gonna be a real prize---beautiful, big and heavy. When I went to harvest it, I found that it was rotted on its underside. Sigh.

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  2. Looks good. I can't wait to get those seeds in the ground either.

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  3. I love your garden details. We plant a garden too, but I haven't started seeds indoors yet. That's something we're thinking of doing to avoid those seeds that just won't sprout. Sometimes I have a whole row of plain soil where nothing's come up.

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  4. two thumbs way up. tomatoes are good for Vata though ;)

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  5. thanks, clint! what a bummer. my watermelon grew really well in our town's community garden. the seeds were grown in a bed of compost and the fruit set on woodchips. i never got a chance to taste them as they went missing, but i'm hoping the melon thieves enjoyed them. we had plenty from muth anyways.=)

    thanks, jane! me too!

    blessedmama - thank you! wishing you lots of luck with this year's seeds!

    rick - thanks bud.=) i'm sure we'll grow tomatoes at the community garden. last year there were so many plants donated to the town, we had tomatoes out the wazoo.=)

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  6. Nice! I love gardening, but I hope to be more active this year.

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  7. Well a person can't grow everything and I love your choices. Wish I could grow melons...I will just have to live vicariously trough yours.:)

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  8. Looks like a wonderful plan I hope your garden is lush and bountiful.
    I just wish I had gotten mine planted this year
    Next year is a must! But I can still grow herbs, which I love, and of course I will never stop sprouting.
    Peace & Raw Health,
    Elizabeth

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  9. Based on all of this accumulated knowledge I'm thinking third time will most definitely be a charm for you Kelli - love the idea of cucumber and nasturtiums

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  10. Wonderful information...thanks for taking the time to post:)

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